if she wanted to get involved, women are so much more out now than they were then. >> this was the 1940's and 1950's. she was her own woman. >> thank you to both of you. we appreciate your time. thank you to the white house historical association and partners as to the folks at the truman library in the truman house and independence for their help with the video tonight. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] [captioning performed by national captioning institute]

>> monday on first ladies, maybe eisenhower. she had limited relations with the media, holding only one press conference. but she was very popular. her downs and bangs made her a regular on the best-dressed list. career -- she conducted

white glove inspections and approve the med -- menus. she spent days working from bed because of poor health. join us for two hours as we explore the life and legacy of many eisenhower. eisenhower. we are offering a special edition of the book first ladies of the united states of america. a biography and a portrait of each first lady and comments from noted historians on the role of first ladies throughout history. it is available for the discounted price of $12.95 for shipping. plus shipping.

and their website has more. it chronicles life in the executive mansion during the tenure of each of the first ladies. find out more at c-span.org/ firstladies >> c-span will bring public affairs events in front of you, putting you in the room at briefings and conferences and offer complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the u.s. house as a --lic service of public cable tv. now you can watch us in hd. >> coming up next, a memorial service for the late tom foley, former speaker of the house. after that, tributes to other former members of congress who passed away recently. and jeb bush honored with the jack kemp foundation leadership

award. >> this week, as is obama and former president clinton joined members at a memorial service for former house speaker tom foley. .e was a democrat the last five years, he was speaker of the house. the service was hold in the u.s. capitol's statue a tory hall -- statuary hall. 1.5 hours.s than >> president obama delivered the remarks at a memorial service

>> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors, the singing of the united states national anthem, and the retiring of the colors.

>> ? oh say can you see, by the

dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? and the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. oh say does that star- spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of

the free and the home of the brave. ? now please be seated. >> now please be seated.

>> ladies and gentlemen, let us begin by acknowledging a great friend of this institution , mrs. heather fully. [applause] thank you for giving us this chance to try to express the depth of gratitude we owe to tom. an english poet once wrote that the noblest work of god is an honest man. tom foley was that and more, a leader grounded indecency and

principal, an honor to himself, his family, and this house. he did all the things a public servant should do an friendly did many of them better than the rest. ask any of his peers and they will tell you this. listen to bob dole. around the time he became speaker he called him a man of total integrity, or ask alan simpson who told you that tom can go to hell and make you feel good about going there. and then is fiercely conservative as they come, he said he wished they were republican. there is also this from president george bush. tom foley represented the best in public service and our political system.

one class act tipping his hat to another. this service is impressive, as is the sequence of his rise. majority whip, majority leader, and speaker. it is his sense of fairness that will always stand out for me. it is how he held this institution together at a very difficult time and why those that come after us who seek what it means when we use that phrase man of the house or what it means to leave somebody behind should look up the name thomas foley. today we gather in the old hall, joined by presidents, vice presidents, speakers, so many of our colleagues and diplomats that tom served with to

reminisce about this man's service and a toast to his life. welcome and thank you all. [applause] >> let us pray. god of heaven and earth, the work of your hands is made known in your bountiful creation and in the lives of those who faithfully live in your grace. today we remember the life and work of tom foley, son of the very proud city of spokane. this commitment to furthering education in his own district, washington's 50, is testified to by the ralph and hagans library

at gonzaga university, his alma mater. it is named in honor of his parents, who did something right in raising such a son. tom foley was a modest man whose impact on the public wheel beyond his district far exceeded any projection of the ego or strength. may we all be inspired by his example to be men and women compelled to improve the life and prospect of our fellow citizens while eschewing any honor or glory. do our part to increase understanding and respect across cultural divides. be present with us this day, o god, as we mark his life and remember his legacy. bless this gathering and comfort us as we comfort one another in

remembering a great american and a genuinely good man. amen. >> tom foley was my friend, mentor, and colleague in the house of representatives. i first met him at the university of washington law school in 1965 during his freshman term. he was a brilliant young man with a warm and friendly smile. it was his intellect and love for this country that made him an outstanding leader. he served as chairman of the house agriculture committee and worked hard bringing these two issues together allowing chairman foley to have support in the house for both. he believed in and practiced ability and bipartisanship. his view was after the elections

were over, democrats and republicans should work together to deal with a national legislative agenda. seeing his strong leadership qualities and the belief in getting things done for the american people, speaker tip o'neill appointed him to be the whip and he was unanimously elected to be our majority leader and then our speaker in 1989. he worked closely with bob michael and they remain great friends after they left congress. later, president clinton named speaker foley to be our ambassador to japan. as a staffer to war and, i worked with him on the spokane world's in the created traumatic change for the largest city in the fifth district. tom was so proud to represent the people of the fifth are congressional district and he always thought this was his most important responsibility.

it was a great honor for me that he supported me and my campaign. i was lucky to receive his support as a member of the house and i will always thank him for being such a good mentor. we will always remember the legacy of tom foley. he believed in the congress and he believed this institution could produce positive results for the american people. his loving wife, heather, supported him during his career and to grant full care of him during his long illness. may god bless you, heather, and the entire foley family. [applause] >> good afternoon. i'm jim mcdermott, a house member from washington's seventh , mostly seattle.

i knew tom foley for more than 40 years and throughout that time, he was a wonderful friend and a sage mentor. in 1971 when i was a freshman state legislator, he took me out to dinner in seattle and suggested i would run for congress. i was pleased for his regard of my career, but i knew better since i was a freshman legislator so i rejected it and ran for governor. i got creamed. [laughter] tom never said a word. i return to the legislature determined to learn as much as i could about the realities of governing effectively and the challenges of legislating well. when i finally ran for congress, he was majority leader of the house. as i arrived for his first term in 1989, tom was about to become speaker. i know now that he was about to become the last speaker of the whole house.

he believed that the speaker was the speaker for the whole house and he lived that to his very core. today, many will note tom's devotion to the house of representatives and his knowledge of the history of this organization. you learn in enormous amounts and he appreciated the role of the house and our balanced structure of government and he knew well the challenge of maintaining that fragile balance. when he assumed his speakership, he brought to it a scholars depth of understanding and a disciple's passion. he led the house with fairness and a style of leadership we have not seen and we have recently looked for, but have not seen, what he was able to do with both sides. he understood the house could not perform its constitutional function without evenhandedness and respecting the role of minority. tom was a democrat -- no question about it.

he was very clear. he believed that the legitimacy and the value of government. the government's duty was to improve the lives of americans and he saw it as a noble obligation and worthy of one's best efforts at any time. when he was speaker, he abandoned none of these principles. he added a very nuanced appreciation to the role of speaker and his certainty that it required not a flame throwing partisan but a measured, study pilot and lit by a match for his love of the house. his district was a sprawling swath of eastern washington yet is is full of essentially conservative voters and they reelected him for 30 years. they took an urban international list and send him back again and again. they did so and it was a

persistent affirmation of his unshakable integrity, superb legislative skills, and his deep connection for the people of the fifth. he always started his speech with, my highest honor was to be elected congressman from the fifth district. the voters recognized him as a great american. we share a sense of rye irish humor, but his charm and wit were all his own. he was an extraordinary person and in your replaceable friend. i'm grateful to have known him. rest in peace. [applause] >> mrs. foley, bless you.

there was a great minister, scholar, abolitionist who lived in new england in the 19th century. his name was james freeman clarke and he once made the statement. a politician, he said, thinks only of the next election. a statesman thinks of the next generation. speaker tom foley was a true statesman. he believed it was an honor to serve the public good and he brought respect for the dignity of our democracy and the inspiration of our mandate as a nation to every moment of his service.

he believed it was our calling as members of congress to do what we could to preserve and help create a more perfect union that has been in the making for almost 300 years. in all of my years knowing speaker foley and seeing him on the floor, i never heard this man, this good man, speak a bad word about anyone. i just have a feeling that he was one who believes. if you cannot say anything good about someone, don't say anything at all. as a leader, he believed he should build and not tear down. reconcile, not divide. he stood for the principles of

diplomacy and mutual respect even toward his opposition. he did not subscribe to the politics of personal destruction he was a representative of the great state of washington, as a legislator, bigger than his own personal values and ambition. he wanted to leave a record of accomplishment that would have a lasting impact on our society for generations to come. when he left the speakers chair, it was the end of an era in our history. maybe, just maybe, his passing at this moment in our history is just an eloquent reminder of one simple truth that no leader is greater than the cause he serves and when our lives are over, we

will be remembered not for fame nor fortune but for how we helped or harmed the dignity of all human kind. i will never forget this prince of a man who lead by example and struggled to turn the tide of partisanship with structured debate. every leader within politics or in larger society, every leader in america, to do well, to take a page from tom foley's book. [applause] >> heather, mr. president, mr.

president, mr. vice president, mr. vice president, how wonderful that speaker foley has two presidents, two vice presidents, and the good wishes of the president george herbert walker bush. he could never have probably imagine that when he came to the floor on the first day to make his first floor speech. he said, public service is a free gift of a free people and a challenge for all of us in public life to do it we can to make our service useful for those who have sent us here. few the fill that charge with more courage, more stability than he. he was the first speaker to hail from west of the rocky mountains. he brought a fresh perspective and a powerful voice to open the

doors of leadership to members who represent the diversity of their country. his first campaign was legendary in its civility. before the election was even over, his opponent released a statement calling the campaign the cleanest he had ever seen in office. in that spirit, he made campaign finance reform a priority sunday legislation to the president's desk that would ensure our democracy was a government of, by, and for the people. he could not override the president's veto, but his commitment to a just democracy serves as a testament to this day. known for his ability to build consensus, speaker foley never

compromised on the conviction to do right by the american people. when tragedy struck at the fairchild air force base in his district, this longtime defender of gun rights saw the need for sensible non-violence prevention laws. the speaker foley brought that bill to the floor and helped enact the ban knowing that it would not be well received in his district. but he did what he believed and he did it with courage. he matched that dedication with principle and courage with a gift for diplomacy. nearly 20 years ago, i was privileged to attend a special dinner to honor speaker foley for his leadership. as fate would have it hama that was the day that you announce that you are going to grant a temporary visa to gerry adams.

just a coincidence. needless to say, the mood of the evening was tense and speaker foley with this characteristic grace, the reason why the matter how disconcerting, it was crucial to delivering an ever elusive peace to northern ireland. that remarkable ability to build bridges across a great divide would serve him well as speaker in later as ambassador to japan, something he took great pride in, as i know you did mr. vice president. his judgment was impeccable and was respect it and many of us benefited from it. a for me in september 2008, i will attended a g8 meeting of heads of parliament, speakers, whatever they are called and all participants were invited to lay a wreath at the hiroshima peace

memorial. i called speaker foley of vice president mondale to say what i should do. they said, you must participate. you will be the highest ranking american official to lay a wreath at the memorial. you cannot say no. that may seem easy now, but at the time, that was very strong judgment. such is the nature of a great man who believed above all for the purpose of public service that it is about respect. diplomat, leader, speaker, tom foley was the quintessential champion of the common good. he spoke for the house he led and the country he so loved. in his farewell speech to the

house he said, congress is the place where we come together to speak the voices of america and it is the voice that is sound to cho through the world. i hope it is a comfort to you that so many people mourn your loss throughout world and are playing for you at this sad time. to you heather and to the foley family, thank you for sharing tom with a grateful nation. his voice will forever ecoin our hearts to all who strive to make a difference through public service. as we count our blessings as a nation, we know that god truly blessed america with the life of leader tom foley. [applause]